cook county Department of heath Provides Mobile Overdose Prevention Outreach Unit to Southland

Ronald J. Vlasaty Jr-COO of the Family Guidance Centers, Inc (FGC) - will be joined by Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon, Cook County Department of Health Officials, various southern Cook County ELected Officials.and community leaders in officially presenting to southern Cook County an all new grant funded mobile unit created to assist in reversing the alarming OpIoid Crisis that has negatively impacted the southland.

The Mobile Overdose Prevention Outreach Unit is a program funded by the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) through the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The mobile unit will provide harm reduction supplies such as naloxone (Narcan), the FDA-approved medication used to reverse an opioid overdose.

The need for overdose prevention resources in suburban Cook County is great. During Illinois’ COVID-19 stay-at-home order from 03/21/2020 through 05/29/2020, there were 122 opioid overdose deaths in southern Cook County, which was an 82% increase over the comparable dates of 2019. There were 487 opioid overdose deaths in SCC in 2020, 83.2% of which involved fentanyl. From 2016-2020, there were 1,885 opioid overdose deaths in Cook County, 23% of which were in the Southland. FGC will address the alarming increase in opioid-involved overdose deaths in suburban Cook County during COVID-19 by providing community-based services to both groups and individuals where they are, even if they are not yet ready to seek treatment.

“The continued increases in overdose deaths and recent declines in life expectancy throughout southern Cook County justifies our mission in these comprehensive public and private health approaches to combating this current opioid crisis. The Mobile Unit will offer every facet of privacy, support, FDA approved supplies, and intervention in reducing the enormous increase we’ve witnessed throughout the southland.” says FGC COO Ron Vlasaty.

FGC’S Mobile Unit will soon begin distributing overdose prevention kits and will also conduct training on the administration of naloxone and the use of fentanyl strips for churches, healthcare providers and other community groups. Over the four years of CCDPH funding, FGC plans to provide over 20,000 overdose kits to residents of the southland.

“This mobile unit speaks volumes to how private and public part- nerships can truly produce positive results that will offer the type of relief that thousands of families have needed in assisting their loved ones through the opioid crisis. I am grateful to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, my fellow Commissioners, and the leadership of the Cook County Department of Public Health. This is a team effort that will produce positive results. : says Commissioner Gordon.

FGC COO Ron Vlasaty adds,” The amount of work that was achieved in making this a reality was endless. We are grateful to our partners at the Cook County Department of Public Health for their continued support for our agency and foer the thousands of people who will benefit from this program. We are very fortunate to have the support of President Preckwinkle, Commissioner Gordon and the full Cook County Board of Commissioners who share in our vision of providing best in class services to support people who are challenged in behavioral health and substance abuse.”

Founded in 1969, the Family Guidance Centers, Inc. is a community based not-for-profit behavioral healthcare organization with locations across the state, including a substance use treatment center located in Harvey, Illinois. FGC’s mission is to prevent and treat substance use and co-occuring mental health disorders, as well as to help individuals connect with primary health care and services to address the social determinants of health.